When you go to a school with less than less than 4,000 students, or even less than 3,000, there can sometimes be a struggle in the party scene. Sure, we all have our nights that are amazing and extremely fun but most of the time the night seems a tad bored. It feels like only one house will ever have a known party where people will attend. The police might shut it down at around 11:30 if not earlier, and everyone lurks the streets for something better to do. Half the school travels downtown to see what is going on in the few bars we have, and the other half just goes home and ends their night.

Some small schools have greek life, and some just find their fun in the bars downtown, but HWS is somewhere in between. We aren't a school that’s nightlife is run by the town’s bars, but we're also not a school where the fraternities take over.

Every Saturday it feels like half the school disappears to go hang out at one of these party scenes and the rest is left lurking through the street trying to get into that one house that kicks people off their porch. Freshman boys coming to the door and hoping their "ratio" will do, even though it probably won't. Lost and confused as to where they are supposed to party, everyone tries to find something suitable, but it just doesn’t seem to work out.

We think we might release our stress from the week through hanging out and talking to friends, maybe even dancing at a party, but what happens when we can’t even get past the door? Yet a bunch of guys guarding the door of their party isn’t even the real problem, it’s the lack of these parties in the first place.

So shouldn’t there be more of them? It seems almost impossible. I guess campus safety is just too good at their job. Students hosting the party would rather get in trouble with the police department for having a “rowdy” party because they will care less than campo. This is a problem. We should be able to rely on Campus Safety, not fear them.

The solution to this party problem is simple. The Greek life is slowly dying and most students want to be able to go downtown, and even if they don’t we want a change in scenery. Some of the bars downtown should have 19 and up nights. Students who are of this age would be able to pay to get in at the door. The bar wouldn’t serve them, but they would, at least, get into the place.

This seems like the only option because for a fraternity to throw a party there are actual rules. They need to let the school know a month in advance, spend money on a caterer and possibly a bartender, oh and campo must do checks on students every once in a while.

A caterer? This sounds like my parent’s Christmas party.

This lack of normal, fun, and open parties is the main reason why students are turning to the downtown option. Ridding themselves of that one sweaty crowded sports house and hoping they remember their fake address from their ID.

So maybe the downtown “pay to get in” option isn’t so bad. This would save a lot of kids from trying to buy fake IDs and from getting in trouble when those fake IDs fail them. This would also save the bars from serving underaged students because right now they are doing it pretty much every weekend.

There needs to be a different way for students to go out at small schools. Yes, we still have a good time, but seeing the same people at the same place every weekend can get a little tired.